Does anyone know of a pump that will turn on as water fills up?

[jamest0o0]

So I'm working on this stand that will hold my dragonstrand atrium. It's pretty much done, I just need to wait for the stores to get some plants that are large enough.

At the bottom I have a long bin that probably fits 20 gallons or so. It was the best I could fit under. My plan is to put a submersible pump in the bin and have it pump drainage water out the window to water the plants. Since I mist a lot for my Parsons(at least 30 minutes a day) this thing will be filling up fast. Instead of worrying about flooding the floor every day I was wondering if there was a small pump out there that can sense when water fills up and send it out. Kind of like a reverse auto top off for a fish tank. I guess like a sump pump for a basement, but small enough to fit in that drainage bin.

 

[JacksJill]

I was going to say sump pump but then yo mentioned the size.

 

[jamest0o0]

Might be one out there that'll work, maybe If it sits next to it and i somehow have the intake inside of the bin.

Also thinking of just having a timer pump it for like 30 seconds a day. Some can run dry for around 48 hours so I'm sure a few seconds shouldn't hurt. That might be my simplest option.

 

[austin1125]

I work for a pool service company, we sell pool cover pumps that turn on automatically when the water fills up on top of the solid covers and weigh it down. Maybe look into something like that? They have to be plugged in constantly but they are low voltage and don't use much electricity. If you throw it in the bin, all you have to do is attach a garden hose to it and it should run right out through the hose. When the water fills up passed the sensor in the pump, it just drains it out.

 

[jamest0o0]

Great idea thank you, I'll check it out

 

[Johnnyjames572]

So I'm working on this stand that will hold my dragonstrand atrium. It's pretty much done, I just need to wait for the stores to get some plants that are large enough.

At the bottom I have a long bin that probably fits 20 gallons or so. It was the best I could fit under. My plan is to put a submersible pump in the bin and have it pump drainage water out the window to water the plants. Since I mist a lot for my Parsons(at least 30 minutes a day) this thing will be filling up fast. Instead of worrying about flooding the floor every day I was wondering if there was a small pump out there that can sense when water fills up and send it out. Kind of like a reverse auto top off for a fish tank. I guess like a sump pump for a basement, but small enough to fit in that drainage bin.

Have you looked into condensate pumps? I used them when I did hvac. You run pvc drain to the pump and when it hits a certain level the pump clicks on and pumps out. The hose that pumps out is flexible so you can run it anywhere.

 

[jamest0o0]

@Johnnyjames572 another great idea! So the pump isn't submersible, it needs PVC pipe going into the drainage bin right?

 

[Johnnyjames572]

Yes sir. Doesn’t have to be pvc but something that drains into that bin. At a certain level it just pumps

 

[NickTide]

using a regular fountain pump and some electrical tape, you could rig up your own with a water sensor switch.

https://www.amazon.com/Copapa-Horiz...1524679660&sr=8-4&keywords=water+level+switch

 

[Goose502]

using a regular fountain pump and some electrical tape, you could rig up your own with a water sensor switch.

https://www.amazon.com/Copapa-Horiz...1524679660&sr=8-4&keywords=water+level+switch

I would buy the cheapest pond pump I could find, then rig up a float switch. You would be basically building your own, cheap, weaker sump pump.

 

[JacksJill]

If you are willing to use a timer rather than a sensor an aqua lifter aquarium pump might do the trick. They are super cheap and so is a timer.

 

[Jevin]

Also look into hobby stores, rc boats usually have a bilge pump setup to sense water. Maybe you could get just the water sensor and hook it up to a submersible pump or get a large enough bilge pump to work. Might even be able to use a bilge pump for a fishing boat, unfortunately my experience with fishing boats is limited to a 12 foot aluminum boat where the bilge pump is your hands and a bucket lol although a quick Google yielded this: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/b...ds&dclid=CMnv5bCX1toCFc1gAQod-E0J1Q#store=299
And this: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B00B0...Mwebp_QL65&dpPl=1&dpID=41n3kro-iyL&ref=plSrch

Which should work quite well for you as it is designed to connect to pipe and definitely will be able to keep up with the water easily and low cost. Should also be relatively quiet and bilge pumps are designed for a function similar to what you need a pump for, only issue is powering it, which should be easy to do using a 12 volt transformer.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you! That looks great too lol so many options i didn't think of. The ones you linked are in Canada it looks like, but I'm sure I can find here.

 

[jamest0o0]

If you are willing to use a timer rather than a sensor an aqua lifter aquarium pump might do the trick. They are super cheap and so is a timer.

Off topic, but was it you that was going to try and set up a rain system using a Tom's aqualifter pump?

 

[JacksJill]

Yes, once I got it in it was so well hidden that I couldn't get decent picture of it. It wasn't a rain system as much as a series of drippers that ran in the outdoor cage. I pulled that cage apart the other day. I'll try to get pics when I redo it.

 

[jamest0o0]

Howd it work out for you? I always thought it would be a cool idea to have something like that

 

[JacksJill]

I'm not sure he ever used it or that it made any kind of humidity difference. It was just nice to know that if he went into any of the three biggest plants that there was water available. When he's in the outdoor cage all he wants is sun. I put in all these plants & branches and created a humidity/temp. gradient and he would just plaster himself to the screen as close to the sun as possible regardless of the temperature.

 

[jamest0o0]

I can see that, my Panthers do the same. I have windows around the house that I put plants next to for them to chill on during the day. They will just smoosh themselves up against the screen and stay there for hours.

 

[Scottsquatch]

James, get a float switch like we use in the aquarium hobby. When the switch goes up all the way, the little pump will kick on and drain the tray.

 

[jamest0o0]

Like an ATO?